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FAITH, 



EXPLAINED TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF 



C HILDREN, 



BY THE AUTHOR OF "REPENTANCE. 

Approved by the Vermont Sabbath School Union, 



J 
WINDSOR, VT.: 



PUBLISHED BY RICHARDS AND TRACY, 
1833- 



V 



Entered according to act of Congress, in the year T833 ? 

By Charles Walker, 
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Vermont 



/fJcti 



ADVERTISEMENT. 



In this work, the author has fouud it diffi- 
cult to preserve as much simplicity of lan- 
guage, and to adapt it as clearly to the un- 
derstanding of children, as he desired, and 
as he was able to do in his former work, on 
Repentance. This is owing either to the 
nature of the subject, or to the want of prop- 
er skill on the part of the writer — perhaps to 
both. It is hoped, however, that the pres- 
ent work will be intelligible to .the greater 
part of those for whom it is written. Many 
of the best instructed children between the 
ages of six and ten, will, it is believed, find 
but little difficulty in understanding the lan- 
guage and comprehending the thoughts of 
this book. And there are, it is hoped, but 



IV ADVERTISEMENT. 

few between ten and fifteen years of age, who 
will not do it with perfect ease. — But though 
the work was principally intended for chil- 
dren of the ages here specified, yet the wri- 
ter hopes that many youth will read it, and 
that they will, by the blessing of God, derive 
everlasting benefit from its pages. 



CHAPTER I. 



Object of the Book — Explanation of Faith. 

My Young Pleader : 

This little book is about faith. It is made 
for young persons, for children and youth 
who attend Sabbath schools ; and therefore 
it is written in very plain and simple lan- 
guage, so that you may easily understand it. 
The writer of it wants you to read it very 
carefully, and think about what is said as you 
read along. Do not hurry it over, just so 
that you can say you have looked it through. 
A habit of careless reading is a bad habit. 
Read with close attention, and understand 
what you read. 

You know that there is much said in the 
Bible about faith. You know that every 
person must have faith, or he cannot be good 
and happy. The Bible says— Without faith 
it is impossible to please God. If then you 
a 2 



6 FAITH. 

hope to please God, and to have his blessing, 
and to dwell in his presence when you leave 
this world, you must have faith. So you see 
it is of the utmost importance that you should 
know what faith is. It is the object of this 
little book to show you what it is, and to 
urge you to have it, that you may please God 
and be happy. 

You know that the Holy Bible is the word 
of God. You know that in the Bible God 
speaks to us, and tells us about many things 
which we should never have known, if they 
had not been told to us in that holy book. 
You know that God speaks to us in the Bible 
about himself — he tells us who he is, where 
he dwells, what he has done, and what he 
will do. God tells us, also, what ice are our- 
selves, what we have done, and what we 
must do, if we would please him. He tells 
us, too, about another world, a state of being 
beyond the grave — a place of happiness for 
the righteous, and a place of misery for the 
wicked. God tells us, further, about Jesus 
Christ, who came into the world and died to 
save sinners ; and that they who believe in 



F A 1 T II . 7 

Christ will be saved, and that they who be- 
lieve not will be damned. All this, and very 
much more, God makes known to us in the 
Bible. 

Now I am ready to tell you what faith is 
— it is so believing what God has said, as to 
do what he has commanded. Do you under- 
stand this ? I want you should understand 
it, and will, therefore, express it in a little 
different language. — Faith is believing what 
God has said, in such a manner as will lead 
you to do ivhat he has bidden. It is not en- 
ough to say that you believe the Bible, or to 
think that you believe it, if you do not obey 
it. It is not faith, to have a kind of general 
belief that the Bible is the word of God, and 
that it is all true. Many have this kind of 
belief, who have no true faith. If a man has 
true faith, he will not only believe what God 
has said in the Bible, but he will act as if he 
believed it. 

What I have now said will show my young 
reader what true faith is, as clearly as I can 
do it in a few words. But I hope to make 
the subject very much plainer, before I close 



b FAITH. 

this book. And I shall try to do it by point- 
ing you to the example of many good men 
who had faith, and who showed what their 
faith was by what they did. 

But before I proceed to notice these ex- 
amples, I have several things to say. The 
great object of the Christian's faith is the 
Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only Saviour. 
And the only w T ay in which we can be saved, 
is by faith in him. The Bible says — Believe 
in the Lord Jesus Christ , and thou shalt he 
saved. And it says also— "He that believ- 
eth not shall be damned." It is plain, there- 
fore, that our salvation depends on our hav- 
ing true faith in the Saviour. 

Now, you know what God has told us in 
the holy scriptures about his Son. You re- 
member what the Bible says about the birth, 
life and death of Jesus. Though he dwelt 
in heaven, and was with God, and was God, 
yet he came into this world, and became a 
man. He was born of the virgin Mary. He 
grew up like other children. " He increas- 
ed in wisdom and stature, and in favor with 
God and man." When he was thirty years 



FAITH, 



old, he began his ministry. He preached 
that all men must repent and believe in him, 
or they can never enter the kingdom of heav- 
en. He performed a great many wonderful 
miracles, which proved that God was with 
him, and that he worked the works of God. 
His life was entirely holy, free from all man- 
ner of sin. His example was perfectly good, 
and he urged all men to be like himself. 
His teaching was wise and good. Even his 
enemies said — Never man spake like this 
man. He told all about the duties which 
mankind owe to each other, and to God. 
He earnestly besought all people to become 
his disciples and friends, telling them if they 
would follow him, they should be happy for- 
ever, and if they would not, they must be 
eternally miserable. Such were the things 
that Jesus taught, and in this manner he la- 
bored to save men. And at last he permit- 
ted himself to be taken and crucified by 
wicked men, that, by his death, he might 
make an atonement for the sins of the world, 
and prepare a way that all sinners, who re- 
pent and believe in him. might be saved and 



10 



FAITH 



be happy in heaven forever. After his death, 
he arose from the grave, appeared alive to 
his disciples, told them to go into all the 
world and preach the gospel to every creature ; 
and then he ascended into heaven in the 
sight of many of his friends, and there he ev- 
er liveth to make intercession for us. 

This is a short account of what the Bible 
informs us concerning the Saviour. Now 
God requires that we should believe this, and 
so believe it that it will rule our conduct, and 
make us the followers and disciples of Jesus 
Christ. This is faith in Jesus Christ ; and 
nothing else is true faith in him. It is not 
enough for you to say that you do not dis- 
pute or deny what God says concerning his 
Son. It is not enough for you to say that 
you believe the scripture account of the Sav- 
iour. If your belief is not of that kind which 
will govern your actions — if it does not lead 
you to do as the Saviour bids you — if it does 
not make you his friend and disciple ; it is 
not true faith in him. 

Now my young reader, if you have read 
attentively and understood what you have 



F A I T H . I 1 

road, you see thai when you have true faith 
in Christ, you will trust yourself in his 
hands; you will look to him alone for salva- 
tion : you will obey his commands and strive 
to be like him. Your belief in Jesus — your 
faith in him, will control your conduct ; it 
will lead you to do as Jesus bids you : it will 
make you a friend of the Saviour, and you 
will be a Christian indeed. This is the faith 
that God speaks of in the Bible, and it is the 
only kind of faith that he will accept, or that 
will prepare the soul for heaven. If you 
would have this faith, you must study the Bi- 
ble very attentively, you must earnestly desire 
to know 7 all that God has said ; and you must 
pray much that God would help you to un- 
derstand and do his will, and that he would 
give you the faith which all true Christians 
have. 



CHAPTER II. 



Some Examples. 



I will now attempt to show you what faith 
is, by some familiar examples. Suppose, 
then, that your father should tell you, that 
in a distant field, under a certain stone, there 
is a large sum of money, and that if you will 
go and get it, you shall have it for your own. 
Knowing your father to be a man of truth, 
and that he means what he says, you will be- 
lieve what he has told you. You may not 
understand how he happens to know about 
it, and he may not explain the matter to you; 
but if he tells you that he does know, and 
that if you will go where he directs, you will 
find the money, you will believe him. But 
how, in this case, will you show your belief? 
How will it influence you ? The answer is 
plain — you will go immediately to the place 
that your father pointed out, and search 



FAT T H . 1 3 

for the prize, find it, and bring it home, 
If you should not move — if what your father 
lold you should have no effect upon you, it 
would be plain that you did not believe what 
he said; for if you believed him, you would 
set out at once to get the prize, 

Now, to apply this — God, your heavenly 
Father, has told you of heaven, where you 
may enjoy perfect happiness, and have every 
thing that your heart shall desire, when you 
arrive there. He has told you, also, about 
the way that leads to heaven. He says you 
must repent of sin, believe in Jesus Christ, 
follow him and obey his commandments, and 
then you shall not fail of entering into the 
kingdom of heaven. And God has further 
told you, that if you do not go in the way he 
has pointed out, if you do not obey him and 
follow the Saviour, you shall be cast down 
to hell, and be miserable forever. All these 
things, which are as important to you as your 
soul's happiness, God has plainly revealed in 
the Bible. Now, if you believe what he has 
said, will it not deeply affect your mind ? 
And if you truly believe the sayings of God 



14 FAITH, 

on this subject, what will you do ? Will you 
remain careless, and do nothing ? Certain- 
ly not. You will seek to enter the strait and 
narrow way that leadeth unto life. You will 
be in earnest in trying to secure the salvation 
of your soul. Not daring to remain in a 
state of impenitence and danger, you will re- 
pent, and come to the Lord Jesus Christ for 
pardon and help. Depending on the Sav- 
iour, you will perform all those duties which 
God has commanded. You will seek first 
the kingdom of God and his righteousness , 
trusting in the promise that all things neces- 
sary shall be added unto you. — Thus will you 
do, and do immediately, if you truly believe 
what God has said in his holy word. 

But if you do none of these things — if you 
remain careless and unconcerned about your 
present character and future state — if you 
are not moved by what God tells you in the 
Bible, can it be that you truly believe what 
he has said ? No, certainly not. You see 
plainly that your belief is not of the right 
kind. It does not move you. It does not 
govern your actions. It is only a dead faith, 



FAITH. 15 

such as the Apostle James speaks of when 
he says — " Faith, if it hath not works, is dead, 
being alone. For as the body without the 
spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead 
also." 

One thing very important to a true idea 
of faith, is trust in God. To show you what 
this means, I will bring another example. 
The Rev. Richard Cecil, an English clergy- 
man, says he took the following method to 
give his daughter an idea of faith, when she 
was very young. He wished to teach her 
what it is to trust in God, which is the very 
essence of true faith. He says — " My little 
daughter was playing one day with a few 
beads, which seemed to delight her wonder- 
fully. Her whole soul seemed to be absorb- 
ed in her beads. I said — "My dear, you 
have some pretty beads there." — "Yes, Pa- 
pa." — " And you seem to be vastly pleased 
with them."— "Yes, Papa."— " Well now, 
throw them into the fire." The tears started 
into her eyes. She looked earnestly at me, 
as though she ought to have a reason for such 
a cruel sacrifice. " Well, my dear, do as 



1 6 FAITH. 

you please : but you know I never told you 
to do any thing which I did not think would 
be good for you." She looked at me a few 
moments longer, and then — summoning up 
all her fortitude, her breast heaving with the 
effort — she dashed them into the fire. — 
" Well,' 1 said I, " there let them lie ; you shall 
hear more about them at another time, but 
say no more about them now." Some days 
after, I bought her a box full of larger beads, 
and toys of the same kind. When I return- 
ed home, I opened the treasure, and set it 
before her; she burst into tears with joy. 
" Those, my child," said I, "are yours, be- 
cause you believed me, when I told you it 
would be better for you to throw those two 
or three paltry beads into the fire. Now, that 
has brought you this treasure. But now, my 
dear, remember, as long as you live, what 
faith is. I did all this to teach you the mean- 
ing of faith. You threw your beads away 
when I bid you, because you had faith in me, 
that I never advised you but for your good. 
Put the same trust in God. Believe every 
thin^ that he savs in his word. Whether 



F A I T H . 1 ? 

you understand it or not, have faith in him 
that he means your good." 

This example, my young reader, shows 
you, in a very striking manner, the nature of 
true faith. You will, I think, always remem- 
ber it. By looking at it, you can, at all 
times, see what it is to frust in God. When 
God commands you to throw away your vain 
trifles, which draw away your heart from him, 
you know that he intends your own good ; 
and that if you obey him, you will have some- 
thing better than what you give up. When 
God commands you, as he does in the Bible, 
to " love not the world, nor the things of the 
world," he will, if you obey him, give you 
the better things of heaven. When He ur- 
ges you to give up every improper pleasure, 
and to forsake the vanities of a wicked world, 
if you cheerfully comply, though it may cost 
you some present struggles and pain, you 
shall, in the end, know that what God requi- 
red was for your own good. In the Bible, 
God commands you to forsake the ways of 
sinful pleasure, to avoid the company and ex- 
ample of the wicked, to give up your own 
b 2 



lb FAITH, 

will, and to deny yourself, and take up the 
cross, and follow Christ. Perhaps you may 
sometimes think that to do so would make 
you unhappy. But remember, that God nev- 
er calls upon you to do any thing but what 
will be for your own good. Trust in him — 
throw your beads into the fire — give up your 
worldly desires, and obey the voice of the 
Lord. You will find, at last, that this is the 
best way — that it is the only way to true hap- 
piness, and that the Lord will ever take care 
of those who put their trust in him, . Long 
ago the Psalmist said, and he said it, too, from 
his own experience — u O Lord; Blessed is 
the man that trusteth in thee." 

Mr. Cecil's little daughter thought at first, 
that if she should obey her father, and throw 
her play-things into the fire, she should have 
nothing to amuse herself with, and that she 
should be very unhappy. And though she 
knew that her father never told her to do any 
thing except it was best that she should do 
it, yet it cost her a painful struggle to give 
up present pleasure, and trust in him for a 
future and unknown good, But she did it, 



FAITH. 19 

and found a rich reward. — So many young 
persons think, that if they should obey God, 
and give up their sinful amusements and 
worldly desires, and should become serious 
and pious, and attend to all the duties of re- 
ligion, they should be unhappy. But it is 
not so. God never commands you to do any 
thing but what is for your own benefit. Try 
it, and see. Though it may seem hard for 
you to forsake the way that leads you to sin, 
to give up your own will, and become the 
servant of Jesus Christ, yet, if you will do it 
— if you will obey God and trust in him, you 
shall be more happy in this world than ever 
you have been, and you shall be forever hap- 
py in the world to come. 

You must remember, however, that you 
are not to expect to buy the favor of God, by 
giving up your sinful pleasures. You do not 
pay him for his blessings, by forsaking the 
ways of sin. God's favors are gifts ; you can- 
not purchase them by what you do. When 
he commands you to give up a vain amuse- 
ment, a sinful pleasure, or your own will, you 
must do it because he commands it. His 
b3 



20 FAITH. 

commands are right and good ; and you should 
obey them cheerfully, whether he should be- 
stow any more blessings on you or not. Do 
his will — obey his commands, and then leave 
the consequences to his care. This is trust- 
ing in him. This is faith. 



CHAPTER III, 



About Abel, Enoch and Noah. 

I will now turn to the Bible, and give my 
young readers a number of examples, out of 
that holy book, of good men who had faith. 
By looking at these examples, you will be 
able to see what faith is, and how it influen- 
ces the feelings and conduct of those who 
have it. 

In the eleventh chapter of the epistle to 
the Hebrews, the Apostle Paul mentions a 
large number of men who lived in ancient 
times, and who all " obtained a good report 
through faith" I will tell you something 
of several of these good men, taking them 
in the order in which the Apostle mentions 
them. 

The first in the order is Abel. And the 
Apostle says— " By faith Abel offered unto 
God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, 



22 FAITH. 

by which he obtained witness that he was 
righteous, God testifying of his gifts ; and by 
it, he being dead, yet speaketh." — Now, if 
you will turn to the 4th chap, of Gen. you 
will find the account to which the Apostle 
refers. Cain and Abel were brothers, and 
the sons of Adam and Eve. But though they 
were brothers, they were very different from 
each other. One was a very bad man, and 
the other a very good man. One had faith, 
the other had not. Cain was a tiller of the 
ground, — that is, he was a husbandman, or 
farmer. Abel was a keeper of sheep. The 
Bible says — " In process of time it came to 
pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the 
ground, an offering unto the Lord. And 
Abel, he brought also of the firstlings of his 
flock, and of the fat thereof. And the Lord 
had respect unto Abel and to his offering ; 
but unto Cain and to his offering, he had not 
respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his 
countenance fell. And the Lord said unto 
Cain, why art thou wroth ? and why is thy 
countenance fallen ? If thou doest well, shalt 
thou not be accepted ? and if thou doest not 



FAITH, 



23 



well, sin lieth at the door. And Cain talked 
with Abel, his brother; and it came to pass, 
when they were in the field, that Cain rose 
up against Abel his brother, and slew him." 

This wicked deed of Cain placed him first 
on the list of murderers, and his name has 
always been covered with reproach. God 
was displeased with him, and put a curse 
upon him; and he was doomed to be a fugi- 
tive and vagabond on the earth 

And now my young reader will desire to 
know why God " had respect to," or accept- 
ed Abel's offering, and did not accept Cain's. 
The reason is made known unto us by the 
apostle, in the words before mentioned — 
"By faith Abel offered unto God a more ex- 
cellent sacrifice than Cain." Abel had faith, 
and Cain had not : this made the difference 
between them. Abel truly believed what 
God said, trusted in him, and obeyed him. 
When he brought his offering and presented 
it, he felt himself to be God's servant, and 
bound to do his will. He gave up himself 
to the Lord ; and he brought his offering as 
a proof that he did so, and that he stood 



24 



¥ A I T H . 



ready to do whatever God should command 
him to do. This was a state of mind pleas- 
ing to God, and he, therefore, accepted Abel 
and his offering. 

Cain had nothing of this state of mind. 
He did not give up his own will, and submit 
himself to the government of God. He had 
no child-like trust in God, and did not feel 
willing to take the place of a servant, and do 
God's will. He brought, it is true, an offer- 
ing of the fruits of the earth, to present be- 
fore the Lord, and this would have been right, 
and God would have accepted it, if he had 
done it with a right state of mind. But, as 
he was proud and stubborn, and had the spir- 
it of a rebel, God would not accept him, nor 
receive an offering from his hands. 

What a difference there was between these 
two brothers ! Though both of them pro- 
fessed to worship God, yet one did it with a 
humble, believing and child-like spirit ; while 
the other came with a proud, worldly, and 
rebellious temper. The one, when he pre- 
sented his offering, presented also himself, 
to be a servant of God, and obey all his coin- 



FAITH. 25 

mandments ; the other brought his offering,, 
but his heart was not with it, and his hand 
was not ready to do the will of God. The 
one had faith ; the other had not. This made 
the difference between them. And then one 
became a murderer, and the other the victim 
of a brother's rage. Abel was accepted — 
Cain was rejected. The one is happy with 
God in heaven ; the other, so far as we know, 
is in the pit of eternal misery. 

From this example, my young reader, you 
see how important it is to have faith. With- 
out it, you cannot serve God aright, and can- 
not be accepted by him. You may learn, 
also, in the case of Abel, what true faith is, 
and what it will do. From the sad case of 
Cain, also, you may learn how wicked a per- 
son may become, and w 7 hat dreadful deeds 
he may commit, if he lives without faith, and 
permits his angry passions to rage against 
any of his fellow-creatures. Let it be a warn- 
ing to you, and go to God in humble prayer, 
and ask him to give you that faith which will 
preserve you from evil ways, and make you 
holy and happy forever. 



2G F A I T H . 

The next example mentioned by the Apos- 
tle, in the 11th of Heb., is that of Enoch, 
He says — " By faith Enoch was translated, 
that he should not see death, and was not 
found, because God had translated him ; for 
before his translation he had this testimony, 
that he pleased God." Translated means 
that he was taken up into heaven — not see 
death means that he did not die. Here then 
was a good man, who did not die, but God 
took him at once into heaven. Before he 
was taken up, he pleased God by his pious 
and holy life. And why was he so remarka- 
ble for his piety and holiness ? Why was 
God so much pleased with him ? Why did he 
have so much proof that God loved him ? 
And why was he taken away from the evils 
of this life, without feeling the pains of death, 
and received into the presence of God, and 
the joys of heaven ? The Apostle gives the 
answer — "By faith Enoch was translated." 
It was his faith which made him so good a 
man. It was his trust in God, his doing the 
will of God, and his living here with his 
thoughts and heart fixed on heaven, that God 



FAITH. 27 

was so pleased with him that he took him to 
himself. 

In Gen. 5 : 24, you may find the history 
of the event to which the Apostle refers — 
" And Enoch walked with God; and he ivas 
not, for God took him." This is a short ac- 
count, but there is much meaning in it. He 
walked with God — that is, he felt and acted 
as if God were present with him. His faith 
was so strong, that it brought God and eter- 
nal things constantly before his mind. He 
felt that God was around him, and with him. 
With the eye of faith he constantly beheld 
his Maker, and walked in the path of obe- 
dience all his days. — You know the Bible 
speaks of wicked men, as living " without God 
in the world." They have no sense of his 
presence. They forget that he notices their 
conduct. They live and act as if there were 
no God ; for they do not like to retain God in 
their knowledge. But Enoch walked with 
God, He felt that the eye of God was upon 
him, and his constant aim was to do the things 
that would please God. 



28 F A I T IT . 

Again, the account says — He was not.fa)* 
God took him ; that is, he could not be found 
in the world, for God had taken him to heav- 
en. Perhaps he was alone, when God trans- 
lated him. Perhaps no one was with him, 
to see him go up into heaven. When the 
prophet Elijah was taken up to heaven, Eli- 
sha saw him go, and he could tell what he 
had seen, so that every body would know that 
Elijah had gone, without dying, to the heav- 
enly world. But if no one saw Enoch ascend 
to heaven, it would not be known where he 
was. His friends might inquire after him, 
and the people make great search to find 
him. It might never have been known where 
he was, if God had not told us. But God 
has told us. In the Old Testament we read 
— "He was not, for God took him;" and in 
the New Testament it is said — " By faith E- 
noch was translated, that he should not see 
death." 

In this example, my young reader, you see 
what faith is. It is that state of mind in 
which a man feels that God is with him, and 



FAITH. 29 

notices all his feelings and conduct. It is a 
full and impressive belief that God sees you 
at all times, and that he will call you to an 
account for all that you think, and say, and 
do. You see, also, in this example, the ef- 
fects of faith. It will lead you, if you have 
it, to walk with God, to do the things that 
please him, to obey his laws, and engage in 
his service. And though you have no reason 
to expect that you shall be translated to 
heaven without dying, as Enoch was ; yet, 
if you have true faith, your soul will go up- 
ward to dwell with God, when you die, and 
you will be happy in his presence forever. 

Let us look a little longer at the case of 
Enoch. It was a remarkable case. He was 
a man like other men. He was, by nature, 
a sinner, and dwelt among sinners. But he 
repented of sin, and turned to the Lord. If 
you had lived at that time, you might not 
have seen any difference, in outward appear- 
ance, between him and other men. You 
might have seen him attending to the busi- 
ness of this world, like his neighbors. But 



30 FAITH. 

while his hands were engaged in the affairs 
of this life, his heart was set on things above. 
While others laid up their treasures on earth, 
he laid up his treasures in heaven. While 
others walked in the broad way that leadeth 
to death, he walked with God. He kept e- 
ternal things constantly before his mind. He 
thought of God, and heaven, and hell, and 
acted as though he could see them all. He 
prayed unto God, and watched against sin. 
He desired to be entirely holy, and by con- 
stant prayer and watchfulness, assisted by the 
Spirit of God, he did become so holy that 
this world was not a fit place for him to live 
in ; so God took him to heaven. And all this 
was because he had faith, 

Now I hope that every reader of this little 
book will " obtain like precious faith." I 
hope that you will think so much and so ear- 
nestly about what God has told you in the 
Bible, that you will fully believe it all, and 
feel and act as you should do. If you be- 
lieve, with all your heart, what the Bible says 
about God, and Christ, and heaven, and hell, 



FAITH. 



and about your own duly, that will be faith, 
and you will then do the things that are pleas- 
ing to God. 

Noah is the next example of faith, men- 
tioned by the Apostle. You remember that 
Noah and his family were preserved alive, 
when all the other people of the world were 
drowned by a flood of waters. You remem- 
ber, too, by what means he was preserved ; 
that he built a large ark, or vessel, and rode 
safely in it on the surface of the flood which 
drowned a world. The Apostle tells us why 
the ark was built, and w T hy the man and his 
family w^ere saved. It was because he had 
faith — because he believed what God said. 
The language is this — " By faith Noah, be- 
ing warned of God of things not seen as yet, 
moved with fear, prepared an ark to the sa- 
ying of his house, by the which he condemn- 
ed the world, and became heir of the righte- 
ousness which is by faith." 

Long before the flood came, God warned 
men that it was coming. Noah believed the 
warning, and set himself to prepare for the 
event, When God told him that he could 



32 FAITH. 

no longer bear with the wickedness of men, 
and that the world was so full of sin that he 
was determined to sweep this whole race of 
sinners from the face of the earth, Noah had 
faith in the word of the Lord, and believed 
he would do as he said. But we do not learn 
that there were any others among all the peo- 
ple, who believed the divine threatening. 
All the rest seemed to be utterly careless a- 
bout the matter. They lived thoughtlessly, 
and pursued as vain and wicked courses as 
before. — Not so with Noah. He, being warn- 
ed of God, was moved with fear. He fully 
believed that the flood would come, and fear- 
ing lest himself and his family should be in- 
volved in the common ruin, he began at 
once, as God directed him, to build the ark. 
By doing so, he showed his faith ; and his 
conduct, as the Bible says, condemned the 
world; that is, it was a rebuke to the wicked 
men of that time, who would not believe 
what God said. 

It was many years after the warning was 
given, before the flood came. Noah, the Bi- 
ble says, ivas a preacher of righteousness. 



FAITH. 33 

He doubtless preached to his neighbors, and 
to all who heard his voice, the great truths 
which God had spoken. He told them their 
wickedness, and their great guilt in the sight 
of God. But they cared not for his sayings. 
He warned them of their danger, told them 
that a flood was coming, and that a more aw- 
ful punishment than to be drowned in a flood 
of waters, would come upon them in anoth- 
er world, if they did not repent. But they 
did not legard his warnings. The truth was, 
they had no faith — they did not believe what 
Noah said — they did not believe what God 
said. No threatenings alarmed them. No 
warnings moved them. No kind invitations, 
no affectionate entreaties had any effect on 
their minds. They were just like the care- 
less and thoughtless sinners who live in the 
world now. Ministers preach to them, and 
Christian friends entreat them, but they will 
not repent — they will not believe, and be- 
come Christians. O, how hard and wicked 
are the hearts of sinners ! And you, my 
young reader, if you will not regard what God 
says in the Bible, if you will not mind what 
c 2 



34 F A I T H . 

the minister of the gospel says, if you will 
not repent, and have faith, and be a disciple 
of Christ, when your friends urge you to do 
it, you are like the sinners that lived in the 
days of Noah. They would not hear the 
warnings of God, and turn unto him, and you 
will not. Are you not, then, like them ? O, 
be like them no longer ! Hear the warning 
now, and fly to Jesus Christ, who is the true 
ark of safety. 

The building of the ark, as well as Noah's 
preaching, should have awakened the atten- 
tion of the people of those days. This work 
was a constant warning to them, and they 
ought to have been alarmed by it, and to have 
repented, and turned unto the Lord. Noah, 
by all the labor he performed in building that 
great vessel, showed the strength of his faith, 
and his firm belief that the flood would 
come. His neighbors, when they saw him, 
with so much toil and expense, preparing an 
ark for the saving of his house, ought to have 
inquired whether they were not in danger. 
They, no doubt, saw him engaged in the 
work. They knew him to be a good man. 



FAITH, 35 

and his conduct was abundant proof to them 
that he sincerely believed a flood was com- 
ing. Why, then, did they not feel alarmed ? 
Why did they not prepare for the coming of 
the awful judgement ? Alas ! it was because 
they were unbelieving and wicked. They 
loved their sinful pleasures and worldly pur- 
suits, and after them they would go. The 
Saviour says — " They were eating and drink- 
ing, marrying and giving in marriage, until 
the day that Noe entered into the ark, and 
knew not until the flood came and took them 
all away." What folly ! What madness ! 
What slaves they were to sin ! 

But such conduct was very much like the 
conduct of sinners at the present day. Even 
now, under the clear light of the blessed gos- 
pel, careless sinners can see their pious friend 
or neighbor earnestly preparing himself for 
the judgement of the great day, and remain 
thoughtless and unconcerned themselves. 
They can see the Christian watching, and 
praying, and denying himself, and laying up 
his treasure in heaven, and yet feel no alarm 
at their own dreadful danger. I fear that 
c 3 



oO FAITH. 

some who read this little book, are thus heed- 
less and impenitent. How is it with you, 
young reader? When you see your father 
or mother, or some Christian neighbor, pre- 
paring for death and judgement, are you not 
careless ? Does it alarm you any to see oth- 
ers preparing an ark for the saving of their 
souls, while you have none ? While others 
are afraid to disobey God, and live without 
religion, do not you disobey him and live 
carelessly, without fear ? How much this 
looks like the conduct of those who lived in 
the time of Noah. Let me entreat you to 
live in this careless and dangerous state no 
longer. Strive to enter into the ark of safety. 
When the ark was done, Noah and his 
wife, his three sons and their wives, entered 
into it. And the Bible says — The Lord shut 
him in. Now they were safe, and all the 
rest of the world were shut out. It was now 
too late for any to ask to be admitted into 
the ark. All without must perish. — Soon 
the rain began to descend in torrents. The 
windows of heaven were opened, and the foun- 
tains of the great deep were broken up. 



FAITH. 61 

Now, we may suppose, many wanted to be 
received into the ark. They ran to it, in 
hopes that the door would be opened. Per- 
haps they cried aloud unto Noah, and earn- 
estly besought him to let them in. But this 
could not be, The Lord had shut him in, 
and, by doing so, had shut all others out. It 
was too late to seek refuge there. As the 
vallies became filled with water, these fright- 
ened sinners ran to the hills and mountains. 
But they could not be safe there. The wa- 
ters continued to rise. The lowest hills were 
covered first, and the men, women and chil- 
dren who had collected there, were drown- 
ed. Then the higher hills, and at last the 
highest mountains were covered with the wa- 
ters. The miserable people struggled a lit- 
tle while in the waves, and then sunk to the 
bottom. All w 7 ere drowned. Not one of all 
that wicked race remained alive. The Lord 
was offended with them ; he made all the 
earth one vast ocean, and they all perished. 
O, what an awful scene was this ! Who will 
not fear the judgements of the Lord ? Who 



38 FAITH. 

will not tremble, when he comes to take ven- 
geance on his enemies ? 

But amidst all this desolation and death, 
Noah and his family were safe. The ark 
bore them up on the top of the flood, and 
God preserved them. Soon the waters began 
to abate. The ark rested on mount Ararat. 
Tn a few days the dry land began to appear. 
And shortly after, the waters having depart- 
ed, and the ground become dry, Noah and 
his family came forth out of the ark. They 
found themselves alone on earth, and began 
the world anew. 

In this example, my young reader sees what 
faith is, and what it does. Noah owed his 
safety, under God, to his faith. He believed 
God — he believed what God said respecting 
the coming flood, and he acted as though he 
believed it. This was true faith. And if 
you, my reader, will believe God — if you will 
fully believe what God says in the Bible, 
what he says about himself and about his laws, 
what he says about the Saviour and about 
yourself, what he says about eternity, heaven 



FAITH, 39 

and hell, and your own duty — if you willful- 
ly believe all these things, and act as though 
you believed them, you will have faith. Do 
this, and God will own you as a child. The 
Saviour will acknowledge you as his disci- 
ple. You will be safe from all the floods of 
wrath that are coming upon the ungodly. 
In the ark of salvation you will abide here, 
and in heaven shall you dwell forever, 



CHAPTER IV 



About Abraham. 



Following the order of the Apostle in the 
11th chap, of the Epistle to the Hebrews, the 
next example of faith mentioned, is that of 
Abraham. He was truly a striking example. 
When we read his history, as it is written in 
the Bible, we find, in many instances, that he 
showed a remarkably strong and active faith. 
The most remarkable instance was that when 
he offered up his son Isaac, which we can- 
not read, without being filled with wonder at 
the view of his cheerful obedience and stea- 
dy trust in God. He would do any thing 
that God commanded him to do, whatever it 
might be ; and so strong was his faith and 
confidence in God, that he is justly called the 
father of the faithful. 

The Apostle says — "By faith Abraham, 
when he was called to go out into a place 



FAITH. 41 

which he should after receive for an inherit- 
ance, obeyed ; and he went out, not knowing 
whither he went." Abraham knew that God 
never gave a command, without having wise 
reasons for it ; and though he might not be 
able to see why the command was given, yet 
he knew that it was best for him to obey it. 
He was fully satisfied, that whatever God 
commanded was right, and that if he obeyed, 
God would take care of him. This was faith. 
— It might have been painful to the feelings 
of Abraham, to leave his own country and 
his father's house, and go to an unknown 
country. He was, no doubt, strongly attach- 
ed to his friends, and to the place where he 
was born, and to break away from them may 
have cost him a severe struggle. But God 
had commanded it, and that was enough. 
He did not hesitate or delay, but went off im- 
mediately, not knowing whither he went. 

You may find the account of God's com- 
mand, and of Abraham's going forth, in the 
12th chap, of Gen. His name was then cal- 
led Abram ; it was afterwards changed to A- 
braham. " Now the Lord had said to Abram 



42 fAITH. 

— Get thee out of thy country, and from thy 
kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a 
land that I will show thee." At that time, 
the world was full of idolatry. The people 
had forgotten God, and made themselves idols 
to worship, and they were generally wicked 
and corrupt in the sight of God. True reli- 
gion was almost banished from the earth. 
There was, indeed, some piety in the family 
to which Abram belonged, and he himself 
was truly pious, and the friend of God. But 
the people generally were so sunk in sin and 
pollution, that God saw it needful to separate 
Abram from the rest of mankind, lest his chil- 
dren and family, if he did not himself, should 
become as wicked and corrupt as others. 
This was probably the reason why God told 
Abram to leave his country, and his father's 
house. And for the same reason he caused 
Abram to remove from place to place during 
his whole life, that he might not live long 
enough in one place, to permit his family to 
mingle with the people that lived about them. 
God told Abram that he would give his chil- 
dren all the country of Canaan, now called 



FAITH. 4o 

Palestine, but he did not let Abram have any 
one place in the land. Abram built no 
houses, but dwelt in tents, and removed from 
place to place. In this way, his family was 
kept distinct from the people of the land. 
Perhaps Abram felt that such a moving life 
was not pleasant to him. It gave him much 
trouble, and prevented his building a com- 
fortable house to dwell in. But God com- 
manded him to move about in this manner, 
and that was enough for Abram. He would 
do what God said, and thus he showed his 
faith. 

I have spoken of Abram's family, when he 
had not, as yet, any children of his own. His 
wife, Sarah, had no child. But he had ma- 
ny men-servants and maid-servants in his 
family, and his household became very nu- 
merous. At a certain time when Lot, who 
was the son of iVbram's brother, had been ta- 
ken captive by a large army, Abram armed 
his servants, three hundred and eighteen in 
number, and went and released Lot, and all 
his family. This shows that the company 
which Abram had about him. and which was 



44 FAITH. 

called his own family, was very great. He 
trained up all these to fear and worship God. 
He built an altar to the Lord wherever they 
journeyed, and pitched their tents. He was 
the priest or minister of his own large family, 
and taught them to love and serve God. 

It is now time to mention another thing, 
which showed and tried Abram's faith, and 
which makes known to us what true faith is. 
God had promised to give to Abram's poster- 
ity — that is, to his own children and descen- 
dants, the whole land of Canaan. But yet 
Abram had no child. How then was God's 
promise to be fulfilled ? Almost any other 
man would have doubted the promise of God, 
when the fulfilment of it was so long delay- 
ed. But Abram believed it still. He did 
not know how God would fulfil his promise, 
but he believed he would do it. This was 
faith. — After Abram became very old, God 
made the promise to him again, and told him 
that he should be the father of many nations. 
He also changed the name of Abram, and 
called him Abraham, which means — father 
of a great multitude. 



FAITH. 45 

At length, when Abraham was ninety-nine 
years old, and Sarah, his wife, ninety, God 
appeared unto him, and told him that Sarah 
should have a son. In such circumstances, 
perhaps no one but Abraham would have be- 
lieved that the promise would be fulfilled. 
But Abraham did believe. He staggered not 
at the promise of God through unbelief ; but 
was strong in faith, giving glory to God ; 
and being fully persuaded, that what he had 
promised, he ivas able to perform. This is 
what Paul says of the matter ; Rom. 4 : 20, 
21. 

This promise was again renewed in such 
an interesting manner, that I will relate the 
story as it is found in the first part of Gen. 
18th chap. "And the Lord appeared unto 
him in the plains of Mamre ; and he [Abra- 
ham] sat in the tent-door in the heat of the 
day. And he lifted up his eyes and looked, 
and lo, three men stood by him ; and when 
he saw them he ran to meet them from the 
tent-door and bowed himself towards the 
ground, and said — my Lord, if now I have 
found favor in thy sight, pass not away, I 



4G FAITH. 

pray thee, from thy servant. Let a little wa- 
ter, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your 
feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. And 
I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort 
ye your hearts. After that ye shall pass on ; 
for therefore are ye come to your servant. — 
And they said unto him, so do as thou hast 
said. And Abraham hastened into the tent 
unto Sarah, and said — Make ready quickly 
three measures of fine meal, knead it and 
make cakes upon the hearth. And Abraham 
ran into the herd, and fetched a calf tender 
and good, and gave it to a young man ; and 
he hasted to dress it. And he took butter 
and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, 
and set it before them ; and he stood by them 
under the tree, and they did eat. And they 
said unto him — Where is Sarah thy wife ? 
And he said — Behold, in the tent. And He 
[the Lord] said, I will certainly return unto 
thee according to the time of life ; and lo, 
Sarah thy wife shall have a son." 

Thus kind and hospitable was Abraham, 
and thus was he again cheered with the pre- 
cious promise that he should have a son. He 



FAITH. 47 

believed the promise, though as he was now 
about a hundred years old, it did not appear 
likely, in man's view, that it would be fulfill- 
ed. But Abraham thought that nothing was 
too hard for the Lord, and he trusted in the 
word of God that he should have a son in his 
old age. The Lord had said it — this was e- 
nough for Abraham. He believed it, and 
this was faith. 

In God's own time the promise was fulfill- 
ed. It was delayed till Abraham's strong 
faith was fully proved and manifested. It 
was delayed till it was found that his faith 
was so strong, that, as Paul says, he against 
hope believed in hope. Then the blessing 
came. Sarah bore a son to Abraham, and 
they called his name Isaac. There was much 
rejoicing at his birth, and when the child was 
weaned Abraham made a great feast for all 
his household. There was, without doubt, 
gladness in all the family, for it was now seen 
that God would fulfil his promises and never 
disappoint those who put their trust in Him. 
It was seen, also, how God might fulfil all his 
other promises to Abraham — that he would 



48 FAITH . 

make him the father of many nations — that 
he would give his posterity all the land of 
Canaan — and that all the nations of the 
earth should be blessed in him. These prom- 
ises God had made, and it was now seen how 
they might all come to pass. Well might 
Abraham and all his family rejoice. 

After a few years, when this child became 
a youth, there was another and more severe 
trial made of Abraham's faith. In this trial, 
the good man not only shows what faith is, 
and proves that he had it ; but he shows us, 
also, that it is a most powerful principle when 
it is fixed deep in the soul. He had such a 
strong confidence in God, such a firm belief 
that it would be best for him to obey God, 
whatever was commanded, that he would do 
any thing which God told him to do. 

The Apostle tells us, in the chapter so of- 
ten mentioned — " By faith Abraham, when 
he was tried, offered up Isaac ; and he that 
had received the promises, offered up his on- 
ly begotten son, of whom it was said, that in 
Isaac shall thy seed be called." The history 
of the case here brought to view is most ex- 



FAITH. 49 

traordinary and affecting. It shows both 
" the goodness and severity of God" in a 
striking manner. God requires men to obey 
him, whether they can see the reason of his 
commands or not. He gives no command 
without reason ; and he always intends the 
good of men in all the commands he lays 
upon them. But they cannot always see 
why he gives such commands as he some- 
times does, and it may be difficult for them, 
in some cases, to see how their own good is 
to be promoted by obedience. But, at such 
times, God requires them to obey, to do their 
duty, and leave the event with him. This 
Abraham did, and the history of his offering 
up Isaac affords, probably, the most striking 
example of confidence in God which has ev- 
er been seen in this world. 

You may find the history in the 22d Chap- 
ter of Genesis. It reads in this manner — 
" And it came to pass after these things, that 
God did tempt [or try] Abraham, and said 
unto him — Abraham ; and he said, behold 
here am I. And God said — Take now thy 
son, thine only son Isaac whom thou loves t, 
d 2 



50 FAITH. 

and get thee into the land of Moriah, and 
offer him there for a burnt-offering upon one 
of the mountains which I shall tell thee of. 
And Abraham rose up early in the morning, 
and saddled his ass, and took two of his 
young men with him and Isaac his son ; and 
clave the wood for a burnt-offering, and rose 
up and went unto the place of which God 
had told him. Then on the third day, Abra- 
ham lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar 
off. And Abraham said unto his young men, 
abide ye here with the ass ; and I and the 
lad will go yonder and worship, and come a- 
gain unto you. And Abraham took the wood 
of the burnt-offering and laid it upon Isaac 
his son ; and he took the fire in his hand and 
a knife ; and they went both of them togeth- 
er. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his fath- 
er and said, My father ; and he said, Here 
am I, my son. And he [Isaac] said, Behold 
the fire and the wood ; but where is the lamb 
for a burnt offering ? And Abraham said, My 
son, God will provide himself a lamb for a 
burnt-offering ; so they went both of them 
together. And they came to the place which 



FAITH. 51 

God had told him of; and Abraham built an 
altar there, and laid the wood in order, and 
bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the al- 
tar upon the wood. And Abraham stretch- 
ed forth his hand and took the knife to slay 
his son. And the angel of the Lord called 
unto him out of heaven and said, Abraham, 
Abraham, and he said, Here am I. And he 
said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neith- 
er do thou any thing unto him ; for now I 
know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast 
not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. 
And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, 
and behold, behind him a ram caught in a 
thicket by his horns ; and Abraham went and 
took the ram ; and offered him up for a burnt- 
offering in the stead of his son." 

What a trial, and what a deliverance was 
here ! How calmly and steadfastly Abraham 
went about obeying the command of God ; 
and how kindly did God prevent the death of 
Isaac, as soon as Abraham's faith was tried, 
and it was found that he would do any thing 
which God commanded him to do. 
d 3 



52 FAITH. 

In this example we see true faith in its 
strongest actings. God laid on Abraham a 
very severe command. He does not com- 
monly give such hard commands ; but he had 
a reason for this. He had a good object in 
view. He placed Abraham on this trial for 
his good, and for the good of the world, that 
all men might see a striking example of faith 
and obedience. Abraham endured the trial 
with perfect composure and submission. — 
When the command came, he did not com- 
plain, did not ask to be excused, but imme- 
diately began to obey it. 

We can see how most men would have tri- 
ed to excuse themselves from obeying this 
command. And we can see, too, how Abra- 
ham might have thought and acted if he had 
been a different man, and had been disposed 
to neglect obedience. He might have said, 
Isaac is my beloved son, how then shall I 
take away his life? It is wrong to kill any 
human being, and much more wicked to kill 
my own son. Besides God has promised 
that in Isaac shall my seed be called, and how 



( . 



FAITH . 53 

can this promise be fulfilled if Isaac is slain ? 
God has promisad, also, to give all this land, 
wherein I am a stranger, to my posterity; 
how will this promise be kept, if Isaac, my 
only son, is offered up for a burnt-sacrifice ? 
How will God make me the father of many 
nations, as he has promised to do ; and how 
will all nations be blessed in me, and by my 
descendants, if the only child I have is cut 
off? And what will my neighbors think of me 
and of my religion, if I murder my own 
child ? Or what will Sarah my wife say, if I 
kill the son of our old age ? — All these things 
Abraham might have pleaded as reasons why 
he should not obey the command of God. 
But he pleaded none of them. He had not 
a word to say. God had spoken — Abraham 
had heard the command ; and now he con- 
sidered that he had nothing to do but to obey. 
He did not, at the time, know how this 
command was to be overruled for good. He 
did not know how his family and neighbors 
were to be convinced that he had not done 
wrong. He did not know how the promises 
of God were to be fulfilled, if Isaac should 



54 FAITH. 

be sacrificed. But he felt that these things 
were no concern of his. He believed that 
God would take care of consequences. He 
believed that God would, in some way or 
other, fulfil his promises, though he could not 
see how it would be done. He fully believ- 
ed that it would be best for him to obey God. 
His duty was obedience, and he could wil- 
lingly and cheerfully trust God for what 
should follow. He went on, therefore, with 
steady purpose, to sacrifice his son. He trav- 
elled three day's journey till he came in sight 
of the mountain. Then he left the young 
men, that they might not witness the painful 
scene, and might not interfere to prevent the 
purpose. Taking Isaac, and the wood, and 
the fire, and the knife, he went up the moun- 
tain. Isaac's question must have been very 
trying to his feelings— My father, behold the 
wood and the fire ; but where is the lamb for 
a burnt-offering ? Abraham's answer was 
just such an answer as such a man would 
give — My son, God ivill provide himself a 
lamb for a burnt-offering. If Isaac was to be 
sacrificed, God had provided him for the 



FAITH. 55 

Iamb ; and if any thing was offered in his 
stead, God must provide it. Abraham was 
going to obey God ; this, he felt, was all he 
had to do in the solemn business. It is not 
probable that he expected any other lamb to 
be provided in the place of his son. He 
thought that Isaac was the lamb, and must 
die. lit appears so, from what the apostle 
says in Heb. 11 : 19, that Abraham, when 
he was about to sacrifice Isaac, accounted 
that God was able to raise him up even from 
tlie dead — another proof of his trust in God, 
and of his strong faith. 

Having come to the top of the mountain, 
Abraham gathered the stones together for 
the altar. In this work, Isaac, no doubt, as- 
sisted him. He then built the altar, and laid 
the wood upon it. And now the moment of 
the severest trial came. And did Abraham 
hesitate ? No. He loved his son, and all the 
tender feelings of a father dwelt in his bo- 
som. But God had bidden, and did Abraham 
now beg to be excused from the painful deed ? 
No. He took hold of Isaac with a steady 
hand, and bound him, and laid him on the 



56 FAITH. 

wood upon the altar. And did not his reso- 
lution now fail ? Did he not now say or feel 
that he could not perform the fatal act? 
No. His purpose to obey was fixed. He 
stretched forth his hand and took the knife to 
slay his son. O what a time was that ! An- 
other moment, and Isaac would have been a 
bleeding, dying victim on the altar ? But this 
was the moment for God to prevent the fatal 
deed. The voice said, Abraham, Abraham, 
lay not thine hand upon the lad, for now I 
know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast 
not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. 
And Abraham looked and saw that God had 
indeed provided himself a lamb for the burnt- 
offering. A ram, caught in a thicket by his 
horns, supplied the place of Isaac, and bled 
and was burnt upon the altar. 

Now the trial was over ; and God knew, 
and all men knew that Abraham feared the 
Lord and would obey him. His faith was 
now fully proved, and his example would al- 
ways remain to teach others what faith is, 
and to show that it is always best for them to 
trust in God and obey him. God will always 



FAITH. 57 

take care of those who believe what he says, 
and do what he commands. The example 
of Abraham is proof of it. 

With what gratitude and gladness now 
could this father and son return to their own 
dwelling place. How joyful their hearts, as 
they should travel on the way, in thinking 
and speaking of this new proof of the divine 
favor, and of the certainty that all the prom- 
ises of God to them, and their seed after 
them, would be fulfilled. But before they 
left the place of their trial and their joy, 
Abraham gave it a new name. He called the 
name of the place Jehovah-Jireh, which here 
means — the Lord will provide. This is a most 
precious truth. Abraham doubtless believed 
it before ; and it may be that he did not need, 
on his own account, this new and trying 
proof of it. But others in all ages needed 
it, and many have been encouraged by this 
example to trust the Lord. 

And this is the use which I wish all my 
young readers to make of this example. I 
want you to remember how the Lord provid- 
ed for Abraham because he believed the 



Ob FAITH.. 

Lord's words, and obeyed the Lord's com- 
mands. And if you will believe and obey 
what God tells you in the Bible, He will pro- 
vide for you. Think how Abraham left his 
country and his father's house and became a 
stranger in a strange land, and the Lord 
blessed him. And then think that the Sav- 
iour tells you, that if you will deny yourself 
and follow him, if you will forsake father, and 
mother, and houses, and lands, and be his dis- 
ciple, he will bless you, and you shall be hap- 
py. Abraham believed and obeyed, and ob- 
tained the blessing. Will you believe and 
obey, and obtain the blessing? Do you not 
need the favor of God ? Do you not need 
pardon and salvation? Then seek these 
blessings by believing what God says, and 
doing what he commands. 

Think also how God provided for Abra- 
ham when he was about to sacrifice his son. 
You may never want him to provide for you 
in just such a manner ; but you do want him 
to provide for you the way of escape from 
sin and hell — you do need his blessing to 
bring you to happiness and heaven. Will 



M 



V A ITH . 59 

you not then believe and obey God ? This is 
the only way to obtain his blessing. 

When all the world was in a state of sin 
and danger, when we were all exposed to a 
worse death than Isaac was about to suffer, 
God provided a Lamb to suffer in our stead. 
Christ died for our sins, and not for ours on- 
ly, but for the sins of the whole world. The 
whole human race, being sinners against God, 
were exposed to the pains of eternal death — 
that is, we were in danger of endless misery. 
Then, the scripture says, God so loved the 
world that he gave his only begotten Son, that 
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, 
but have everlasting life. When the Saviour 
came into the world, John the Baptist, point- 
ing to him, said — Behold the Lamb of God. 
Jesus, then, is the Lamb whom God has pro- 
vided for us in our state of sin and danger. 
He has suffered and died for us. He has been 
slain in your stead, for your sake, my young 
reader. Now if you would be saved from 
sin and hell, you must believe in him. The 
example of Abraham shows you what it is to 
believe. When God spake to Abraham, he 



60 FAITH. 

believed what God said, and did what God 
commanded. God speaks to you in the Bi- 
ble ; he tells you that he sent his Son to save 
you, that Jesus died for your sins, and that if 
you will trust in this Saviour, and be his dis- 
ciple, you shall be saved. Now you must 
believe what God says, in such a manner, 
that you will do what he commands. That 
is believing — that would make you like Abra- 
ham — it would be true faith. 

And now, my young reader, will you not 
thus believe ? God requires you to do it. You 
ought to do it. You can do it, if you will. 
Why then should you not do it ? As God has 
sent his Son to be sacrificed as a Lamb for 
you, it is your duty to believe and be saved. 
If you will not believe and obey God, you 
must perish, and you will deserve to perish. 



i 11 , 



CHAPTER V. 



About Moses. 



The interesting story of the birth of Mo- 
ses, and of his being hid three months to 
keep him from the hands of the cruel Phara- 
oh, and of his being put by his mother into 
a little ark of bulrushes and laid on the bank 
of the river, and of his being taken up by 
Pharoah's daughter, you can read in the 2d 
chap, of Exodus. I cannot, in this little book, 
speak of these things, though it would be 
be pleasing to do so. I must begin with Mo- 
ses when he became a man, and when he 
began to do those things which made him so 
remarkable, and which showed his faith. 

In this case, also, I will begin with what 
the Apostle says about him in Heb. 11. "By 
faith Moses, when he was come to years, re- 
fused to be called the son of Pharoah's daugh- 
ter ; choosing rather to suffer affliction with 

E 



62 FAITH. 

the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures 
of sin for a season ; esteeming the reproach 
of Christ greater riches than the treasures of 
Egypt ; for he had respect unto the recom- 
pense of the reward." Here is an example 
of faith, showing itself in a different man- 
ner from any we have before noticed. Mo- 
ses was a great man in Egypt. The king's 
daughter, who had taken him when he was 
an infant from the river's brink, had adopted 
him as her own son. He was, therefore, a 
prince; and perhaps, as many think, he would 
have been king, had he remained in the fam- 
ily of Pharoah till the old king died. The 
words of the Apostle, where he says that 
Moses esteemed the reproach of Christ great- 
er riches than the treasures of Egypt, seem to 
mean that the treasures of Egypt were his, 
if he had not left them. In countries where 
kings rule with absolute power, as they did 
in Egypt, the treasures of the nation belong 
to the king. But whether Moses would have 
been king or not, had he stayed in Egypt, it 
is plain that he had, while he remained in the 
king's family, riches and honors in abundance. 



FAITH- Do 

He had all those things which men of world- 
ly feelings esteem so highly. He had hon- 
ors, for he was a prince in a splendid court 
and mighty kingdom. He had power, for he 
was the adopted son of the king's daughter, 
and probably the heir to the throne. He had 
riches, for the treasures of Egypt were his. 
He had knowledge, for the scripture says — 
" He was learned in all the wisdom of the 
Egyptians, and was mighty in words and 
deed." Acts 7 : 22. In regard to worldly 
things, what could he have more? He had 
all that his heart could wish. 

Most men would think, if they could be in 
such a situation as Moses was, if they could 
have all that he had, and enjoy all that he en- 
joyed in worldly things, they should be happy. 
Perhaps you, my young reader, have thought 
if you had a great and splendid house, rich 
furniture, and food, an elegant carriage and 
horses, and a great plenty of money, you 
would be happy, and want nothing more. 
But these things would never make you hap- 
py. They never made any man happy. A 
man must have something better than all these 



64 FAITH. 

things, or he will never enjoy true happiness. 
He must have a heart to love God and obey 
him; he must have faith in God and do his 
commandments, or he will never find true 
happiness in this world, or the world to 
come. 

So Moses thought. He knew that his 
wealth and honors could never satisfy the de- 
sires of his immortal soul, and therefore he 
sought his pleasures in serving God. He 
knew that this world and all things in it would 
be destroyed, and therefore he sought a bet- 
ter world, and laid up his treasures in heav- 
en. He knew that it was dangerous to be 
delighted with worldly riches and honors, and 
therefore he chose rather to suffer affliction 
ivith the people of God) than to enjoy the pleas- 
ures of sin for a season. It was his belief of 
what God said, that made him choose a portion 
in heaven, rather than aportion on earth. It 
was his faith, his trust in God, his firm belief 
that God would take care of him, and make 
him happy, if he would obey God and do his 
duty — it was this, which made Moses willing 
to forsake the treasures and the throne of 



J, J 



FA 1TH . 65 

Egypt, and go and join himself to a poor and 
despised people. 

Moses' brethren, the children of Israel, 
were slaves in the land of Egypt. You re- 
member the story of Joseph's being sold into 
Egypt, and of his brethren and his father's 
going to dwell there, when there was a fam- 
ine in the land of Canaan. You remember 
how Joseph provided for them, and gave them 
a place to dwell in the best of the land. 
Though they were few in number when they 
first went down into Egypt, yet they after- 
wards greatly increased, so that they became 
a very numerous people. And after Joseph 
and his father and his brothers died, the 
Egyptians began to oppress the children of 
Israel. They made slaves of them. Moses 
was one of the children of Israel, though he 
had been brought up in Pharaoh's house. 
He saw the oppressions of his brethren. He 
knew how cruelly they w r ere treated, and he 
was grieved with their afflictions. 

But this people, though they were in bond- 
age, and in much oppression, were the chos- 
en people of God. They were the posterity 
e 2 



6G FAITH. 

of Abraham, and God had promised to them 
the land of Canaan, as their dwelling place. 
All this Moses knew, and he resolved to 
unite himself with his brethren, though they 
were poor and despised, and to try to make 
their condition better. He forsook the pal- 
ace of the King, to dwell in the cottages of 
the poor. He left the company of the gay 
and the great, to become the companion of 
ihe sorrowful and the oppressed. He for- 
sook the ease and the treasures of Egypt, to 
endure the toil of forty years' wandering in 
the wilderness, and to be fed with manna 
from heaven. This showed his faith. He 
believed that God had spoken good concern- 
ing Israel, and therefore was willing to unite 
his interests with that poor and despised peo- 
ple. He believed that God would fulfil his 
promises to the seed of Abraham, and Isaac, 
and Jacob, and therefore he led his brethren 
forth out of the land of Egypt, relying en- 
tirely for food and protection, on the provi- 
dence of God. He believed that the chil- 
dren of Israel would, at length, find a resting 
place in Canaan, " a land flowing with milk 



^h ,.i 



FAITH. 67 

and honey ;" and though he never entered 
that land himself, and only saw it afar off, 
yet, during forty years' wandering, he never 
doubted the word of the Lord, but w T ith the 
eye of his faith looked forward, and saw his 
brethren quietly settled in the land of prom- 
ise. This was faith. It was relying firmly 
on what God had said, and acting according- 
ly. This is the kind of faith which God re- 
quires, and which the Bible teaches. 

In this world, where men in general are so 
selfish and worldly-minded, we find but few 
who are willing to give up great earthly en- 
joyments and prospects, for the sake of de- 
voting themselves to the service of God. 
Most persons seek their portion in this world, 
and neglect the things of eternity. They 
choose to have their good things in their life- 
time, like the rich man mentioned by the 
Saviour in the parable. Not so with Moses. 
He, as the apostle says, had respect to the 
recompense of the reward. He looked not for 
present ease, but for future happiness. He 
fully believed that he should have more peace 
of mind, and more true happiness, even in 
e 3 



68 FAITH. 

this world, if he united himself with God's 
people, and shared in their labors and sacri- 
ces, than he should have in all the riches 
and pleasures of Egypt. And he believed, 
too, that if he denied himself and served 
God, he should have a dwelling place in 
heaven; and this would be a "recompense 
of reward" infinitely richer than all the joys 
and treasures of earth. This made him wil- 
ling to "suffer affliction with the people of 
God, rather than to enjoy the pleasures of 
sin for a season." He well knew that if he 
left the palace of Pharaoh, and joined himself 
with his brethren in slavery, he must have 
many trials, would be persecuted by the King, 
and despised by his former companions, would 
have a life of toil, and that his rest must be 
sought beyond the grave. But though he 
knew these things, he did not hesitate. As 
the scripture says — "he esteemed the re- 
proach of Christ greater riches than the treas- 
ures of Egypt." That is, he had rather be 
reproached for his religion than to be flatter- 
ed for his greatness. He had rather be des- 
pised, by wicked men, for his piety, than to 






// 



FAITH. 69 

be admired for his riches. He had rather be 
poor on earth, and have a title to a heavenly 
kingdom, than to have Egypt's throne, and 
fail of obtaining everlasting life. 

Now I want my young reader should get 
much benefit from this example of Moses. I 
want you to believe, as Moses did, that there 
are better things than any which this world af- 
fords. I want you to believe fully that a 
treasure in heaven is worth far more than all 
the treasures of the world. If you do truly 
and with all your heart believe this, you will 
be much more anxious to be a disciple of Je- 
sus Christ, and to love and serve God, than 
you are to gain the riches and honors of this 
world. What can wealth or w r orldly honor 
profit you, when you are on your sick and 
dying bed ? But if, at that hour, you have an 
interest in the Saviour, you will have the true 
riches, and be happy forever. 

I want you to believe, as Moses did, that it 
is better for you to be united with the people 
of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin ; 
and that it is better even to suffer affliction 
with Christians, than to be flattered by wick- 



70 FAITH. 

ed men, and unite with their company* It is 
true, that at the present day, pious people 
are not so much persecuted and afflicted as 
they were in former times, and we ought to 
be thankful to God for this. But even now, 
in this Christian land, true believers are often 
reproached on account of their religion. And 
many young persons are afraid to be seri- 
ous, and to seek for the salvation of their 
souls, because they think that their careless 
companions will reproach and laugh at them. 
Cast away such fears as these. Remember 
Moses, esteeming reproach for Christ's sake 
greater riches than the treasures of Egypt. 
Let his example cheer you. If you do your 
duty and embrace the Saviour, God will take 
care of you; he will be your friend, and his 
friendship is worth more than all the praises 
of men. 

I want you to believe, as Moses did, that 
God speaks to you, and that, in the Bible, 
he tells you what to do. For he does speak 
to you in his holy word, as truly as he 
spake unto Moses in the burning bush. He 
speaks to you in a different manner. But it 



FAITH. 72 

is none the less real. God speaks in the Bible. 
He speaks to you. Believe this, and believe 
also, that it is altogether best that you should 
obey him, and do as he commands you to do. 
If you honestly believe thus, and act as if you 
believed it, you will have true faith. Such is 
the faith that pleases God, that makes a Chris- 
tian, and that saves the soul. 

This is the faith, my young reader, which 
I w r ant you to have. And why should you 
not have it ? Will you not believe God ? 
Does he not speak truly ? Does he not speak 
to you? Why then should you not believe 
him? And w T hy should you not believe in 
such a manner that you will do what God 
commands you ? 

Read, study, and think about wliat God 
has told you in the Bible respecting a Sav- 
iour. Jesus came to save you. But if you 
would be saved by him, you must believe in 
him. And is he not just such, a Saviour as 
you need ? You are a sinner, and there is no 
other Saviour for sinners. Will you not then 
accept of this one ? Will you not believe what 
is said about him in the Bible ? Will you not 



72 FAITH. 

trust yourself in his hands ? It is safe to trust 
in him, and there is safety no where else. — 
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou 
shalt be saved" — so God tells you in the ho- 
ly scriptures. But your belief must bo of 
that kind which will lead you to obey God, 
and to do the commandments of Jesus Christ. 
Never be contented without such a belief. 
The salvation of your soul depends on it. 
For he that believeth and is baptized shall be 
saved, and he that believeth not shall be 
damned. 






CHAPTER VI, 



About Daniel and his Three Friends. 

The examples, contained in the former 
chapters, have showed what faith is, and how 
it is manifested, in the conduct of good men 
who believed the word of God, and did what 
he commanded them to do. In this chapter I 
propose to set before my young readers some 
examples in which faith was exhibited by pi- 
ous men who refused to do what God had 
forbidden. They would not obey the com- 
mands of men, when those commands were 
contrary to the word of God. There is no 
difference in the faith — it is the same prin- 
ciple in both cases. But there is some dif- 
ference in the manner of showing it, and this 
will render it useful to look at some examples 
of this kind. 

The Bible gives us many cases of this kind, 
but as I cannot mention them all, I have cho- 



/ 4 FAITH. 

sen to speak of Daniel and his Three Friends, 
The example of these persons, even when 
they were children, as well as when they be- 
came men, will show what faith is^ by show- 
ing their steady resolution not to disobey God 
to please men. 

In the first chapter of the book of Daniel, 
we read, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Baby- 
lon, came and besieged Jerusalem, and took 
the city, and made captive the king of Judah, 
and his people, and carried them and many 
of the vessels of the temple into Babylon. 
At that time the men of Judah were, in gen- 
eral, very wicked in the sight of God, and 
God gave them into the hands of their ene- 
mies. They were taken prisoners and car- 
ried into captivity in a far country. But 
though most of them were very sinful, and 
had offended God by their wicked doings, 
yet there were a few who feared God and o- 
beyed his commandments. Among these 
were four children, who appear to have been 
pious in their childhood. Their names were 
Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 



r ait h. 75 

After the captives had arrived at Babylon, 
Nebuchadnezzar the king ordered one of his 
officers to choose out from among the child- 
ren some of the most active and intelligent 
and best looking, that they might be taught 
the language and learning of Babylon, and 
might be prepared to live in the king's pal- 
ace. This officer chose out a large number, 
and among them were Daniel and his three 
friends. We do not know the ages of these 
children ; perhaps they were from eight to 
fourteen or sixteen years old. "And the king 
appointed them a daily provision of the king's 
meat, and of the wine which he drank; so 
nourishing them three years, that at the end 
thereof they might stand before the king. 
But Daniel purposed in his heart, that he 
would not defile himself with the portion of 
the king's meat, nor with the wine which he 
drank." Here we have the singular exam- 
ple of a boy, who refused to obey a king's 
command, because he thought that command 
was contrary to the law of God. He would 
not do wrong, even when the king command- 
ed him to do it. With him, also, Hananiah, 



76 FAITH. 

Mishael and Azariah united, and they all re- 
fused to defile themselves with the portion 
which the king provided for them. They 
understood that the law of God forbid them 
to partake of such things, and they refused 
to do it. This refusal, it may be, put their 
lives in danger. If the king had heard of it, 
he would probably have been angry and 
might have ordered them to be killed. But 
this danger did not make them willing to dis- 
obey God. They resolved to do what God 
said, not what the king said, and risk the 
consequences. In this they showed their 
faith. They believed God's word, and w r ere 
willing to trust themselves in his care. This 
is faith. 

And God did take care of them. Though 
they lived on pulse and water, yet " their 
countenances appeared fairer and fatter in 
flesh, than all the children which did eat the 
portion of the king's meat." And when they 
all came to stand before the king, at the end 
of three years, "the king communed with 
them, and among them all w r as none found 
like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah ; 



FAITH. 



therefore they stood before the king/* He 
took them into his palace, and they became 
his counsellors. He showed much regard 
for them, and gave them many honors. 

As they feared God in their childhood, 
they continued to fear him in their manhood. 
This might be expected. As in their youth 
they believed God's word, obeyed his com- 
mands and trusted in his care, we might sup- 
pose that, when they were older, they would 
show the same example of faith. If they 
would not when young disobey God to please 
the king, neither would they do it when they 
were old. They all had the trial afterwards, 
and their faith did not fail. 

The first trial came on Hananiah, Mishael 
and Azariah. The names of these three, 
given them by the man who had the care of 
them before they were presented to the king, 
were Shadrach, Meshech and Abed-nego. 
By these names they were afterwards called. 
You may find the account of their great tri- 
al in the 3d chap, of the book of Daniel. It 
was in this manner. 



78 FAITH. 

" Nebuchadnezzar the king made an im- 
age of gold, whose height was threescore cu- 
bits, and the breadth thereof six cubits. He 
set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province 
of Babylon." This image he called a god, 
and he made it in order to worship it. This 
was contrary to the law of God, for God had 
said in one of the ten commandments, "Thoil 
shalt not make unto thee any graven image, 
or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven 
above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that 
is in the waters under the earth. Thou shalt 
not bow down thyself to them nor serve 
them ; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous 
God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers up- 
on the children, unto the third and fourth 
generation of them that hate me ; and show- 
ing mercy unto thousands of them that love 
me and keep my commandments." The 
command of God, therefore, strictly forbids 
the making and worshiping of images. But 
Nebuchadnezzar made the image, and said 
that all the people in his kingdom should 
worship it. He called together a great mul- 
titude of the chief men of his kingdom, and 



FAITH. 79 

gave the command in this manner — " To you 
it is commanded, O people, nations and lan- 
guages, that at what time ye hear the sound 
of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, 
dulcimer and all kinds of music, ye fall down 
and worship the golden image that Nebu- 
chadnezzar the king has set up ; and whoso 
falleth not down and worshipeth, shall the 
same hour be cast into the midst of a burn- 
ing fiery furnace." So when the music 
sounded, the whole multitude fell down and 
worshiped the image, except Shadrach, Me- 
shech and Abed-nego. 

These three men would not worship the 
image. Where Daniel was at this time, we 
are not told ; but we may be sure that if he 
had been present, he would have united with 
his friends, and would have done as they did. 
They believed that God had commanded 
them not to worship images, and they resolv- 
ed to obey God rather than man. They 
trusted that God would take care of them. 
But whatever should happen to them, they 
determined that they would not do wrong to 
please the king or any body else. Here was 



80 FAITH. 

faith — strong faith. They believed God's 
word, trusted in him and did their duty. 

The king was exceedingly angry when he 
found that they had disobeyed him. He 
called them before him in great wrath, and 
told them he would give them another chance 
to worship the image, if they would do it, 
when the music sounded again ; and if they 
would not do it, he told them that they should 
be cast into the burning fiery furnace. They 
said to the king — " We are not careful to 
answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our 
God whom we serve is able to deliver us from 
the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliv- 
er us out of thy hand, O king. But if not, 
be it known unto thee, O king, that we will 
not serve thy gods nor worship the golden im- 
age which thou hast set up." This answer 
so enraged the king, that in the fury of his 
anger he ordered the furnace to be heated 
" one seven times more than it was wont to 
be heated," and then he commanded the 
strongest men in his army to bind Shadrach, 
Meshech and Abed-nego, and cast them into 
the furnace. They did it ; "and these three 



FAITH. 81 

men fell down bound into the midst of the 
burning fiery furnace." 

And were not these men immediately con- 
sumed by the flames ? No. God preserved 
them. They trusted in God — they believed 
that he was able to deliver them. Their faith 
pleased God, and he did deliver them. One 
from heaven was with them, and they receiv- 
ed no harm. The astonished king looked in- 
to the furnace and said — u Lo ! I see four men 
loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and 
they have no hurt ; and the form of the fourth 
is like the Son of God." He was then con- 
vinced that the golden image which he had 
made was nothing, that idol worship was fol- 
ly, and that there was no God but the true 
God. He came near to the mouth of the fur- 
nace and said— "Shadrach, Meshech and 
Abed-nego, ye servants of the Most High 
God, come forth and come hither." Then 
these men came forth, and it was found that 
the fire had no power over them. They were 
safe, for their God preserved them. 

Behold in this example, my young reader, 
what failh is and what are its fruits. See how 
f 2 



82 F A 1 T K . 

those three men believed God's word and 
trusted in him, and were delivered. They 
believed that God had told them not to wor- 
ship an idol, and they would not disobey God, 
because a man commanded them to do it. 
Though they knew that they should be cast 
into the fire, yet this did not make them wil- 
ling to sin. They would not do a wicked act 
to avoid the flames. God was pleased with 
their faith and their conduct, and he helped 
and saved them. 

Learn from this to trust in God. Remem- 
ber that it will always be best for you to 
obey God, and not do wrong to please men. 
If others do wrong, and wish you to do like- 
wise, refuse, and say you will not do wicked- 
ly and sin against God. 

We will now take a view of the conduct of 
Daniel, when he was put on a severe trial of 
his faith. This was long after the trial of his 
three friends, and another king ruled in 
Babylon. This king, whose name was Dari- 
us, made Daniel, next to himself, the first ru- 
ler in the kingdom. The account you may 
read in the 6th chapter of Daniel. "It pleas 



FAITH. 83 

ed Darius to set over the kingdom an hun- 
dred and twenty princes, which should be over 
the w r hole kingdom, and over these, three 
presidents, of whom Daniel was first." He 
was made first because he was best. He was 
a good and pious man, and an excellent spir- 
it was found in him. 

But the other presidents and princes did 
not like Daniel. They envied him because 
he was raised above them. They hated his 
religion, for he worshiped the true God, and 
they worshiped idols. They could not bear 
to have his bright example shining on their 
wicked habits. They therefore resolved to 
find some cause of complaint which they 
might present to the king against him, and so 
have him destroyed. But Daniel's conduct, 
in all the affairs of the government, was so 
good, that they could not find any accusa- 
tion against him. He did his duty to the 
king and to the people so well, that they 
could find no cause of complaint. Then they 
said among themselves, " We shall not find 
any occasion against this Daniel, except we 
find it against him concerning the law of his 
f3 



84 FAITH, 

God." What a proof was this of his good- 
ness, when even his enemies could find noth- 
ing against him, except they made his reli- 
gion a cause of complaint ! They knew that 
he prayed daily to his God, and they thought 
he would be unwilling to omit praying. In 
view of this habit of prayer, they laid a plan 
to procure his destruction. 

They went to the king and urged him to 
sign a decree that no man should pray for 
thirty days. The king did not know for what 
purpose they wished him to make such a 
law. He did not suspect that they were lay- 
ing a plan to destroy the best man in the 
kingdom. So he signed the decree, which 
said no man should make a petition to any 
God or man, except to the king, for thirty 
days. As soon as this decree was signed, it 
could not be changed, for the laws of the 
Medes and Persians altered not. Any one, 
who should pray during these thirty days, 
would be cast into the den of lions. The 
man, who should offer a prayer to God, must 
die! 

What did Daniel do ? Did he continue to 
pray ? He knew that one prayer would ex- 



FAITH, 85 

pose him to death. He knew that the law 
was made by his enemies to ensnare and ru- 
in himself. And he knew that they would 
watch him, and would not fail to accuse him, 
if he should continue his habit of praying to 
his God. But all this did not frighten him. 
He resolved to attend to his own duty and 
leave the consequences with God. It was his 
duty, he believed, to pray daily. God had 
commanded this, and he thought that no 
king or set of men had any right to forbid it. 
Therefore he determined to obey God rather 
than man. And the Bible says — "When 
Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he 
went into his house ; and his window's being 
open in his chamber towards Jerusalem, he 
kneeled upon his knees three times a day, 
and prayed and gave thanks before his God, 
as he did aforetime." When he did this he 
knew that he must be cast into the den of li- 
ons. But he would not omit his duty to a- 
void the jaw^s of lions. He would not do 
wrong to save his life. He believed that God 
was able to deliver him from the power of the 
lions ; and if he was not delivered, he be- 



86 FAITH. 

lieved that God would make him happy after 
death. He trusted in God and did his duty. 
This was faith, and it was showing his faith to 
all men. 

His enemies accused him to the king, and 
Daniel was cast into the lion's den. But the 
Lord preserved him. He remained in the 
den all night, but the lions did not hurt him. 
When the morning came and the king call- 
ed unto Daniel, he answered — "My God 
hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' 
mouths that they have not hurt me." The 
king was glad, and he commanded that Dan- 
iel should be taken up out of the den ; and 
then he commanded his accusers to be thrown 
in. As soon as these enemies of Daniel fell 
into the den, the lions tore them to pieces. 

Thus was Daniel preserved, because he 
had faith — because he believed God's word, 
and did his own duty. He would not neg- 
lect to pray, because a king's decree com- 
manded him to do it. He would not disobey 
God, at a man's bidding. And God took 
care of him. So will God take care of every 
man who does his duty, and will not be turn- 






FAITH. S7 

ed aside from the path of obedience. There 
is no promise that God will always preserve 
the lives of those who are in danger of death 
by their obedience. But he has promised to 
make all things work for their good, whether 
life or death. He has promised to be with 
them in trouble, to give them peace and joy 
in believing, and to take them to heaven. 

From the example of Daniel and his three 
friends, my young reader may learn many 
important things. You may learn what it is 
to believe God and trust in him. You may 
learn that it is always best to do what God 
commands, and leave the event with him* 
And you may also learn to refuse to do 
wrongs when others urge you to do so. Nev- 
er do a wicked thing to please others. You 
may sometimes be with those who use wick- 
ed language, tell lies, violate the Sabbath, or 
steal, and they may wish you to do as they 
do. Perhaps they may laugh at you, if you 
refuse to be as wicked as they are. At such 
times remember how Daniel and his friends 
acted. Do as they did. Refuse to do wrong. 
Whoever urges you, say that you will not do 



88 FAITH. 

a wicked thing, and sin against God. It 
would be better for you to bear the re- 
proaches of the wicked, than to be like them. 
It would be better for you to die, than to 
pursue a wicked course of life, and go down 
to eternal misery. 



CHAPTER VII. 



Conclusion. 



My young reader, have you read this book 
thus far, attentively ? Can you remember 
what has been said about the faith of Abel, 
and Enoch, and Noah, and Abraham, and 
Moses, and Daniel and his three Friends? 
And do you remember, too, how Mr. Cecil 
taught his little daughter what faith is, and 
how she threw her beads into the fire, and 
trusted in him that it would be best for her 
to do so ? And do you also remember what 
I told you about your going to find the mon- 
ey under the stone, if your father should tell 
you that there was such a treasure, and 
where you might find it ? If you have read 
with attention, and remember what you have 
read, you will always understand the nature 
of faith. If any one should ask you — What 
is faith ? you can answer, that it is believing 



90 FAITH. 

the truth— \t is a belief of what God says — 
and it is that kind of belief which makes a 
person act as if he believed. 

Now you need never forget this. It is so 
simple that you may always remember it. 
Many have supposed that it is very difficult 
to understand what faith is. And it must be 
owned that many things have been said and 
written about it, which have tended to make 
it dark, and hard to be understood. But 
there is no need of this. Faith is very sim- 
ple. Even a child may understand it; and 
what is better, a child may have it. You 
need not wait till you are fifteen or twenty 
years old before you believe. If you are able 
to read and understand this book, you may 
exercise faith now. Many children of six, 
eight, or ten years old, have had that faith 
which saved their souls, and gave them a 
title to heaven. 

How old are you, my young reader ? Are 
you six, eight, ten, twelve, or fifteen years 
old ? You are old enough then, to believe 
in Christ to the saving of your soul. You 
know what the Bible says about the Saviour, 



FAITH. 91 

You know what the Saviour said about the 
wretched state of sinners. You know that 
Jesus came to seek and to save them which 
w r ere lost ; that he pointed out the way that 
leads to heaven ; that he invited all men to 
become his friends, to deny themselves, and 
take up the cross and follow him. You 
know that Jesus spake of the day of judg- 
ment, of heaven and hell, and that he prom- 
ised to save all who would be his disciples, 
and obey his commandments. You know 
that he said — he that believeth and is bapti- 
zed shall be saved, and he that believeth not 
shall be damned. And you know also, that 
Jesus gave his life a ransom for many ; that 
he died a cruel death on the cross, to save 
sinners. Now this is enough for you to know 
in order to exercise faith, and be saved. If 
you believe these things truly — if you will 
believe them so that you will act as if you 
believed them, that will be saving faith* 
And can you not thus believe? Will you 
not? 

You may remember that it was said in the 
former part of this book, that the great object 



92 FAITH. 

of the Christian's faith is the Lord Jesus 
Christ. He is the only Saviour of them that 
believe ; and it is their faith in him which is 
the condition of their pardon and their eter- 
nal happiness. The real Christian, it is true, 
believes many other things besides those 
which are said about the Saviour. He be- 
lieves all that God has said in the Bible. He 
receives the whole of that blessed book as 
the word of God. But it is his belief in 
Christ which saves him. " This is the only 
name given under heaven among men, where- 
by we must be saved." There is no other 
way of salvation. The good men, whom I 
have mentioned in this book, and who lived 
before the Son of God dwelt on earth, be- 
lieved in a Saviour to come. Abel, and 
Enoch, and Abraham, and others believed in 
One who was to come after they lived, even 
in that Great Prophet, Jesus Christ, whom 
the Lord promised to raise up for his people. 
Jesus said — "Abraham rejoiced to see my 
day ; and he saw it and was glad." — Now all 
pious men believe in the Saviour who has 
come. And it is this belief which secures 



FAITH. 93 

their salvation ; as the scripture says — Be- 
lieve on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt 
be saved. 

The same state of mind, however, which 
believes the word of God in respect to one 
thing, will believe the word of God in respect 
to any other thing. The man who believes 
what God said in the Old Testament, will 
also believe what he has said in the New Tes- 
tament. If you believe the testimony of God 
respecting David, you will also believe his 
testimony respecting his Son Jesus Christ. 
So that if you have faith in one thing that 
God has spoken, you will have faith in all 
things that God has spoken. This shows you 
that faith is always the same in all ages of 
the world, The faith of Abel was like the 
faith of any good man at the present day. 
And though Abel lived long before the Sav- 
iour came into the world, yet if he lived now, 
he would, with the same state of mind he 
then had, be a believer in the Lord Jesus 
Christ. 

And I wish you, my young reader, to be 
a true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. I 



94 FAITH. 

have written this little book to persuade you 
to believe. It has been my object, not only 
to show you what faith is, but to urge you to 
exercise it. And will you not believe in 
Christ ? Think of what he has said, and done, 
and suffered for you. Think of his good in- 
structions and kind invitations. Think of his 
warnings and threatenings. Think how "God 
so loved the world, that he gave his only be- 
gotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him 
should not perish, but have everlasting life." 
And now will you not believe ? Has not the 
Saviour done enough to convince you that 
you ought to trust yourself in his hands, and 
become his disciple ? What more could he 
have done for you than he has done ? Has 
he not died for you ? And can you now re- 
fuse to hear his voice ? Will you not be his 
friend and follower? Will you not believe 
in him — trust in him ; that is, will you not 
have faith in him ? 

But perhaps you may think, after all, that 
though I have told you what faith is — that it 
is believing the truth — yet I have not told 
you what faith in Christ is. Well, if I have 



FAITH. 95 

not done it before, I will now do it. Faith 
in Christ is believing the truth respecting 
Christ — it is believing what the Bible says 
about him — it is believing the testimony of 
God concerning his Son Jesus Christ in such 
a manner, that your feelings and conduct will 
be governed by your belief. This is faith in 
Christ. You will not fail, I think, to under- 
stand it. You will not, I hope, forget it. 
You will remember, that if you have faith in 
Christ, you will obey him. He says, — If ye 
love me, keep my commandments." 

Now, my young reader, I must take my 
leave of you. May this little book do you 
good. I pray that you may be a true believ- 
er in Jesus Christ. And I hope that you and 
I shall meet together in heaven. 



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